Retaining Student- parents will not get back to me

[Minnie716]

I have a student. Very young and teeny tiny physically. Was still four when she started. She came to my class in December. She was chronically absent at her old school. Missed 90%. So she came to me knowing nothing. She has worked very hard and has improved so much but I would like to keep her another year. Mom won’t answer phone, will not respond to letters to meet with me. I need her signed approval for her to stay another year. She rides the bus to and from school.

What do you do if you can’t get parents to communicate with you?? Do I have to knock on their door??

 

[Sbkangas5]

Have you had admin try to reach the parent?

 

[Minnie716]

She won’t answer because she knows it is the school calling her. But I will try. I will have admin call and leave a message. Maybe if she hears the message from admin, she’ll call back.

 

[Sbkangas5]

I would have admin both call and send a letter. And at that point I'd probably drop it. She doesn't sound like she's interested, and there's nothing you can do when the parents don't want it.

 

[Minnie716]

Yeah. I didn’t say in the letter or the voicemail that I wanted to retain her. I just said that I wanted to talk about the progress that her child has made this year and some concerns I have. If my kid’s teacher called me saying the same thing, I’d RUN to the classroom to meet with the teacher. But…different environment with this family. This poor student and her brother are chronically late to school. The older brother says that his mom won’t wake up. I know we aren’t supposed to believe everything they say but I wouldn’t be surprised.